Fire struck
by Kyra-sensei
Summary: No love, no pain, no pain, no game. A pity you don't realize love before the pain. HanselxOC
1. Find

**Authors note; Just to clarify, this story is based on 'Hansel and Gretel the witch hunters'. It's not the cartoon child story show thing. I hope you like it; it's my first HAGTW story. It's a little short, but all chapters won't always be like this. Please tell me what you think. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter one**

**Find**

Blood spurted all over my face as I drove the knife into the witch's body. A dark magic witch with her unclean blood and thoughts kneeled before me as it stared death in the eyes. I watched with disgust as its blood tickled down its uneven-skinned face. Its short blue hair was dirty and stained in its own blood while its black eyes were plastered with hatred and madness. They had to be mad. To use dark magic was to flirt with evil itself. I'd learnt that a long time ago.

Evaluating the life draining out of it as the impure blood flowed over my right hand, I slowly took my knife out of its neck. Half way out I twisted the blade, her a click and her head dropped to the floor. Its decapitated body fell into the fire behind it along with the head. It died within ten seconds. It wasn't the best fighter to avoid death, however it was quite reasonable since I had broken her spine, cut her open and cut her hands off.

I spat my blood into the fire as it blazed on with extra meat. The frown that lived on my face for years was turned in disgust as I wiped the blood off of my face. Luckily the only part of my face that was injured was my lip and a bit of my nose, but it didn't have much chance to strike me since I did all the beating and the fighting. It was odd though, Witches normally put up a bigger fight, but this one … something was off. I'd been fighting these things since childhood and I knew them like the back of my hand.

I also knew that the new fashion for witches was to change to a human form. However the other witches were having somewhat a difficulty while it came naturally to the grand witches. Difficult? Maybe. Impossible? Not anymore. They've come across new, powerful spells that enable them to do things they couldn't before and it has come to the stage were they can transform. It doesn't last long, but long enough to fool a human. It makes my job that much harder, but like I said, I know them. However, just because I know witches, it doesn't mean and not suspicious or cautious about everyone else, which is exactly the reason why I don't have any friends. Why I work, live, talk and breathe alone. No one can be trusted.

I stood in an opening. The grass field grew brown, long grass that made it difficult to track and trace life. In the centre of the opening was a fire, the one it burned in at this moment, and a few miles West there flowed a small steam leading into a river a few miles North. Good luck to some, a trap to me. I would just have to go check it out to see if there are any signs of Witches. If I was known, I would be called 'Paranoid' or 'Superstitious', but I didn't care because I had reason enough to be crazy, let alone paranoid. It was better to be safe than sorry. An interesting motto that I had come to grow on and understand completely.

I made my way over to the stream the blood stained knife ready in my right hand. I walked cautiously and made sure to watch everything around me. The steam seemed closer than I remembered it to be when I first made my way through it, chasing after that blue-haired psychopath. After investigating the stream and its surroundings and deciding that it was safe, I made my way north to the river. Everything was too quiet for my liking. Something wasn't right …

The River also seemed closer than before but not willing to fret over silliness, I examined my surroundings before climbing into the water fully clothed. I found it easier to be completely clothed if I were ever to be ambushed. I didn't have to grab my clothes and run nude all over the place, exposing my skin for an easy target and weakness. My clothes were cover and protection. Long treasured and well used. Considering the hot, dry weather, I would be dry in no time anyway.

The cold water felt good and fresh under my skin but I wouldn't allow myself to get lost in its comforting manipulation. I kept watch for any sings of life. Shortly after I was clean of filthy blood, my attention was taken by the crunch of hard grass in the field. I'd been waiting for something to break the silence, as was I waiting for an ugly magical beast to spring out of the grass like some kind of animal. I braced myself and clutched my knife, ready to cut open its green skin and behead its purple haired head from its neck, but a gun shot caught me by surprise. Its airborne body was shot into the water after its head exploded. Blood spread through the water like a disease, but that wasn't my worry, rather the shooter.

A man stood surrounded by the long grass. He held a large gun in his hand and a frown on his face. Bafflement flooded my mind as I stared at the handsome shooter. I couldn't help but wonder who he was, where he came from and how his aim was so exceptional. I was suspicious and cautious just as much as I was bewildered. Gripping my knife tighter, three more figures emerged from the tall, long grass. All at once – uncomfortably – they turned their gaze to me.

**Authors note; was it good? Let me know.**


	2. Choice

**Authors note; Hi guys! Not many reviews last chapter **** Please comment this time. Anyway, this chapter is longer, so yeah. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter two**

**Choice**

"Are you all right miss?" The shooter asked. It took awhile for me to actually realize that he was talking to me. They waited patiently for my response.

"Fine. I didn't need help." I said coldly. He raised his dark eye brow along with the girl while the boy frowned. I moved to the edge of the water and got out. The air kept me warm and helped dry my clothes and my hair.

"She would have killed you without our help." The boy commented. I didn't look at him; instead I placed my silver blade into its black holder on my hip. All my clothes were black. In fact, a lot like the woman's clothes, the only differences were the buttons and the belt. Her buttons were silver, mine black and her belt was a dark brown, and mine was black. These clothes had been my protector for many occasions. They always took a little longer to dry since they were leather, but it still dried quickly in that weather.

"I've killed witches before kid." I stated. He took insult at the name "kid" and crossed his arms.

"I'm not a kid. I'm 19 years old." He didn't really look that old. His messy, long dirty blonde hair, his tan and his light green and brown eyes made him look young but his size made up for that. He was quite tall. Either that or the other two were short.

"Good for you." I said grimly. There was silence for awhile so I started walking the way I came. They started whispering amongst themselves but I continued to walk away. I could hear the whispering had stopped and one of them now followed me. I reached for my knife and waited for an attack.

"I'm Gretel." A feminine voice sounded. It was relatively deep but it wasn't masculine.

"Nice to know." I commented sarcastically. She now walked next to me. We were about the same height. Her eyebrows were thin and dark like her dark brown hair. She had light hazel eyes with long dark eyelashes. Her cheek bones were prominent and her nose was small while her lips were pink and full. A beautiful woman with tan skin and an hour glass figure. She really was breath-taking.

"What's your name?" Kindness. She was being kind, she was being friendly. I was still very weary about this and I kept my hand on the knife attached to my hip. After a long while of my silence she to decide to leave it alone and speak again.

"You said you've killed witches before …" It was a mix between a question and a realization.

"Yes." I answered plainly, keeping my eyes in front of me.

"Are you a witch hunter?" She asked.

"You could call it that."

There was something different about Gretel and that shooter. I didn't care about that boy and the troll, but I knew there was something different about those two. I didn't know what, but I just knew there was something different. I knew it.

"We are too." Gretel stated. I said and did nothing. That sort of explained his aim, but not all hunters were good at their job. Then again there weren't many hunters. Only those who had no fear for witches were hunters. Well, that's a characteristic of a professional witch hunter. A strong stomach helps too. I could tell that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable and so she started speaking again.

"Where are you headed?" Why would she want to know that?

"No where in particular." I responded. It was true, but even if it weren't I wasn't going to tell her about it.

"Well, in that case, would you like to come with us? We're headed to town a few days east; it's the closest town to here." I didn't care about the information she was giving me. The only information I cared about was that that would help me find and kill a witch.

"So, what'd you say? Do you want to come with us?" She seemed very hopeful, something I didn't understand. Do I look like the type of person that would go a long with complete strangers?

"No." My answer was plain but it weighed a ton. It seemed that she wasn't giving up.

"Okay, fair enough. Can I just ask you to think about it?" I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her.

"And why would I do that?" She still had hope in here hazel green eyes.

"We saved your life."

"No. He saved my life." The fire didn't even flicker slightly. She held a small smile on her face, almost smug. What was she planning? I probably knew the outcome of the plan but I wanted to know the details. Perhaps that would help with the outcome; the curiosity.

"Which means you owe him." _Very clever move Gretel _I commented in my mind.

"I didn't need his help." I stated, avoiding the fact.

"All the same, you owe him."

There was silence for awhile. I had been taught to repay all debts, no matter the person … or thing. I mentally shuddered at the thought of owing an evil witch.

"Fine. I will consider it. But only because I must repay my debts." She smiled at my words. How did she know I would listen if she brought up the matter in that perspective? Definitely strange. I stood there, just looking at Gretel. I tried to figure it out, but I had no luck so far.

"Let me introduce you to everyone." She suggested. I didn't have time to disagree before the other three came walking up.

"This is Edward." The large troll seemed to have a smile on his face. From my experience, trolls served witches. I was most definitely cautious about that one.

"This is Ben." The nineteen year old boy looked to be sulking. He acted like a child even though he claimed not to be one. She walked over to the shooter and smiled at him. I wondered if there was something going on between them …

"And this …" Why did she pause? "Is Hansel, my brother." That explained the look in her eyes. He really was gorgeous. His skin was tanned and he was tall. About a head taller than Gretel and me. His eyes were a mix between ice blue and ocean blue. His eyelashes were long and dark. His dark hair was cut down short; however his hair and eyebrows were lighter than Gretel's. He looked nicely toned, his muscles showed from under his shirt but his muscles weren't over doing it. His lips were a light pink and his facial bones were prominent. His eyebrows were raised as if he didn't get a joke or thought something was ridicules. I didn't say anything; I just turned and walked away.

My guess would that we were going to camp together tonight. It would be easy to get away from them if I walked through the night, but only an idiot would go wondering around in an unknown place at night. I would just have to deal with it. I wasn't looking forward to spending time with them or anyone else; no one could be trusted and there was no use in wasting tears on trust that would be broken. I didn't need more pain and more of a broken heart. No thank you.

The night came all too quickly and everything was dark, other than the fire they built. I didn't need a fire, I didn't want a fire. It caused attention; something I – we – didn't need. The fire was next to the river. They sat around the it and spoke willingly to each other about anything at all. I sat down on a log, looking over the water. The moon reflected off the water and the stars looked beautiful as a double too. The 'camp' was a little further into the field but was in another clearing that led to where I sat.

I could see myself in the water's reflection. My onyx black hair shone in the moonlight. It trailed down to the bottom of my back and was layered from my eyes. The waviness of my hair made the layers look better. My eyes were a light grey that looked white from certain angles. Ice blue outlined my pupils and my iris's. My eyelashes were long and dark while my eyebrows were dark and thin. My jaw bone was prominent and my nose was small and straight, balancing out my big eyes and my full red lips. My skin was a creamy olive and I was nicely toned as a girl and the perfect height. I had an hour-glass figure with small hands and feet.

My features – me as a whole – were considered perfect and beautiful, but they made me cry because they brought back memories. I hadn't noticed a single tear that made its way down my left cheek. I let the tear fall since it was the only tear that fell. It always happened; one tear would fall and I wouldn't shed another for weeks.

I started considering Gretel's proposal, as I said I would. I really didn't feel about it. I didn't, but something inside of me said otherwise. However, just because of a feeling, I wasn't going to give in that easily.

How did I know they could be trusted?

How did I know they would be good for me?

What did I know about them?

Would they cause me pain?

Were they worth trusting?

The questions were the first on my list. Those were few of my negatives.

I am capable on my own.

I have survived this far.

I am a professional witch hunter.

I know how to use weapons.

I know how to track, hunt, survive and gain information.

I didn't need friends or more pain.

More negatives added to my list.

Witches were becoming more powerful.

They were teaming up.

Finding new spells and putting them into practise.

…

Even with all of the negatives in my list, the positives seemed reasonable. I didn't need help; I didn't, but did they? Was that the reason they would have me come along? Were they capable of protecting the whole group? If I joined, did it mean that I would have to protect them? Thinking about everything, it took awhile to make my decision. It was a hard choice to make. I had lived most of my life alone, fending for myself. _I _didn't need_ them_, but did _they _need_ me_?

Upon making my decision and hanging with the unanswered question, I sighed. Was I making the right choice?

The truth was, I wasn't afraid of being with them – however I was cautious – or with going with them, I was afraid of getting hurt. All that happened when I let people in was pain. That's all I felt. I was happy for a short period of time and then I would feel pain for years. That's what I was scared of.

Before long, I could hear a snore. I didn't really care who it was, but I couldn't help but look toward the loud snore. It was the kid, Ben. The noise was awkward to me, I didn't snore and there was no one else around for me to hear snoring. He snored really loud. I didn't know how the others could sleep through it. Were they with his for so long that they were used to his exasperating noise making?

I turned back toward the river and just sat there, looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful, warm night with a slight breeze.

I didn't sleep that night. The boy's snoring kept me up and I was looking out for witches. It wasn't a new thing for me not to sleep so I wasn't affected by it, but I got really irritated with his snoring.

The first rays of dawn peeked in from the East and I stood from where I sat. I checked for my knife, it was there. I never took it off; it was just habit to look if I had it. I walked into the long grass and I hunted for my food.

By the time I got back, they were up and cooking their own food. I had already eaten my breakfast. All of their backs were turned to me. Gretel was cooking; Ben sat next to her, talking to her about something. Hansel was doing something with his bag and the troll just sat. None of them noticed me. They would all be dead by now if I were an enemy. Were they this unobservant?

I walked over to the river and Gretel was the first to see me.

"Good morning." She greeted. I looked at her with a straight face and said nothing. Ben looked seriously surprise.

"I didn't even hear her." He murmured in Gretel's ear.

"Being so unobservant can get you killed kid." I said. He looked up at me in bewilderment. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"I could hear you. I'm not deaf." I stated. His bewilderment was replaced with irritation.

"I didn't say you were. And once again, I'm not a kid." He spoke as if I were a stupid child that didn't understand a big word. How I wanted to walked up to him and punch him in the face. He would be too slow to block it, too stupid to realize it before and too slow to realize it after. I would have if Gretel hadn't interfered.

"Stop it Ben." She said – he frowned but kept quiet – and looked at me.

"Are you hungry?"

"I already ate." I said tonelessly.

"Okay …" She said slowly. "Did you sleep well?"

"I didn't sleep."

I could see she wanted to say something but obviously decided to not to. I didn't understand her. Was I the only one? They ate breakfast in silence while I sat, watching the sunset. I didn't like staying in one place too long and this was certainly too long for me. I had to get moving. I could hear someone approaching me but I didn't do anything.

"Have you thought about it?" She asked. Gretel remained standing behind me.

"Yes."

"Well? What have you decided?" She tried not to sound nervous.

"I will go with you." I could tell that she was happy by this. I stood up and turned to look at her.

"But only because I owe Hansel my life." She nodded.

"I understand. If you decide to split up with us by the time we get to the village, I won't hold it against you. You've kept your promise." She smiled gently at me and walked away. This day was going to be a long day.

**Authors note; what do you guys think of chapter two? Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you to all my supporters. **


	3. Order

**Authors note; Here's chapter three! A change a made with Hansel that I forgot to mention is that he is taller than he is in the movie. I made him tall, so yeah. Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter three**

**Attack**

I didn't know how long we'd been walking – it felt strange to use the word 'we' – but I could tell that it was for a while. We'd passed the long grass field and now walked in a desert. A typical desert; hot sand, sand hills, not plants etc. There was not a single cloud in the sky and the sun stood high in the sky. I had not said a word since we left, and I wasn't the only one; the troll said nothing too. Hansel didn't speak too often and neither did Gretel because the kid spoke all the time. Some of his speaking habits were annoying; like his lack of breath when he spoke too much. He would have to take a breath in the middle of a sentence and then continue speaking. Gretel often smiled around him. I knew that Gretel and that kid had feelings for each other.

"Keep watch for everything." Hansel had said to everyone before we left. He didn't need to tell me, it was nature. The kid often complained about the heat and it was starting to irritate me. I hadn't been around people for years and so I only realized now that I was quite short tempered. A good thing that I had enough patience for this child or else his nose would be broken. We continued walking and I over heard some of their conversation.

"Remember that swamp witch? Ah man, she was annoying. She had the ugliest face ever. It was like a mix between and Ogre and something that died. Man, she was annoying." The kid also had a habit of using the word 'man' too many times while he spoke. Swamp witches were quite plentiful, however only in their habitat. It was a weakness they had; they would die before leaving their swamp. I find it silly.

He talked on as they listened. The troll was quite and stood next to Gretel on the other side. Ben stood at the end and I stood closest to Hansel, but I kept my distance from the whole group. I saw something move in the sand. I looked toward the movement that stopped. They hadn't noticed it. I'd encountered this before and I knew what was coming before they even knew there was movement. Ben was three steps away from that spot.

"Kid! Stop!" I yelled. The others listened, but he didn't. I ran toward him as he continued walking and tackled him just as he lifted his foot for the last step. He grunted as my shoulder hit his stomach. We rolled down the sand hill we were on. I got up from him in less than a second and I threw my knife. The witches head ripped off its neck with the help of my blade. Green blood spurted out of its headless neck and its snake like head lay on the sand next to the body. Everything happened in less than six seconds. The other three stood in their places with a doubt struck expression on their faces while the kid lay on the floor, not realizing what had happened.

He jumped to his feet with a large frown on his face.

"What the-!" His words stopped as the cartilage in his nose broke under my knuckles. He fell back onto the sand and held his bloody nose with his hand.

"You idiot! If I hadn't taken you down, you would be dead!" I yelled at him. I saw the pain and surprise in his eyes. I turned and made my way up the hill where my blood stained blade sat in the sand. I walked over to its head and wiped the blood off on its cheeks. I lit the body and head on fire before I stood and place the blade back in its holder.

"How did you know?" Gretel asked.

"I've been attacked by one. Desert witches hide beneath the sand, waiting for someone to step above them to drag them down with them. If the witch fails to drag you under, then it comes out to fight. While you were all having your little conversation, I saw the trap." I explained fractiously.

"You could have warned me before hand." He complained from below.

"I did you twit! You just don't listen." He went quiet again. I looked at Gretel who stayed quiet and looked at Hansel who was trying not to smile. What did he find humorous? I turned around and started walking. I heard the kid moan in pain from below.

"Shut it kid! It's only a broken nose." I didn't stop walking. The others followed after a moment. What did that kid think this was? The world was a dangerous place and you couldn't just forget about everything around you. I saved his life and he yelled at me. Who on earth did that kid think he was? This was war, war between witches and everyone else. At least I found a way to keep him silent for awhile.

Some time went with me being irritated before it passed. No one spoke for a long time, not even that child. I began wondering about Hansel. He seemed like an interesting character and I didn't understand him. Why didn't he talk much? What was his personality like? What made him such a great shooter? Who taught him? Why did he find what-ever-I-did funny? How old was he? When did he become a hunter? When? What? How? Why? All these questions were focused in my mind but I didn't lose concentration on my surroundings. I never did, not even in my sleep.

The sun began to set and I realized that I had been thinking about Hansel for quiet some time. I stopped and examined my surroundings. After deciding that the desert area was safe I turned around and looked at the other four that had also stopped.

"We'll camp here." I said. The kid frowned.

"What makes you think you can boss us around?" He inquired in aggravation. Glaring, I walked up to him. Even though he was taller than I, he took a step back. The other three did nothing.

"Listen here boy; _I _saved your life in the desert, _I_ knew the attack before anyone else, _I_ killed the witch and _I _broke you nose and I did so in less that ten seconds." I stated coldly. I continued to glare him down. "Unless you want anything else broken, you watch yourself." I warned. I looked at the other two. Gretel had her eye brows raised and Hansel again tried not to laugh. What was so funny?

I looked back at Ben and waited for a challenge. He said nothing. I turned and started walking.

**Authors note; an interesting character isn't she? Please review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Objection

**Authors note; Hey guys! It's chapter four! This chapter will be pretty short. Anyway, please review. Enjoy! **

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter four**

**Objection**

The past few days were really quiet. I liked it. The troll never really was a problem, however the kid was, but even he was quiet. I often saw confusion on Gretel's face and humour on Hansel's. I decided that I was even more confused by them that I gave credit for. I was curious to ask them a few questions but I knew that it was none of my business so I just left it. The kid still had plaster on his nose and his eyes were dark blue going lighter every day.

We still walked in the desert. How far was this town? We'd been walking together for a few days and there was not even a road or path in sight. The kid didn't dare complain; I figured he learnt his lesson from my threat the day I broke his nose.

"Okay, I've had it!" The kid exclaimed. I suppressed the urge to roll my grey eyes as I turned around to look at him. It turns out I was wrong about him not daring to complain. I waited for him to continue, as I knew he would.

"Ben," Gretel said softly.

"No Gretel. I will not follow her! She is not our leader, you and Hansel are." He told her and turned to me. "You've been bossing us around for days, acting like you own us! So you killed a witch, well, we have too. I will not follow you around like a slave, obeying your orders. I'm tired of you calling me a kid and being mean to me! I've had it!" I kept my face straight as I listened to him go on. He should get a prize for being a drama queen.

"Okay _Ben_, I'll make you a deal." I said. Everyone was surprised at this. "If you beat me, you will lead, but if you fail to, you will suck it up and move on." He thought about this for a moment.

"Beat you at what?" He asked.

"You will have to beat me in a close combat fight." I stated with a straight face. He smiled. He was obviously confident that he could win. _Let's see how confident you are after the fight. _I commented to myself.

"Deal."

"No help from anyone else." I stated.

"No help." He repeated. The others seemed to accept that and took two steps back. I continued standing as I was, having no expression on my face. He came running for me. He swung his fist for my face. I blocked his arm with my right and punched him in the stomach. He bent down and dropped his arm from mine. As he bent down, I landed an upper cut at his already broken nose. As he lifted his bent torso from the force, I kicked his chest and he flew back onto the sandy ground. He let out a moan and coughed. I stayed where I was and waited for him to get up.

He got up and came running for me again. He swung his arm. I grabbed the fist, pulling him toward me and force his arm behind his back. He made another painful sound. I swept his feet from under him and forced his head forward as he fell. His face landed first in the ground as I kneeled into his back. I got off of him and stood a few steps a way from him. I got up and turned to with blood on his face. He didn't look happy. He came to tackle me but as soon as his shoulder was about to make contact with my ribs, I elbowed him in the back. He dropped to the floor and reached for my feet. I saw this coming and jumped back.

He got up and came for me again. Did this kid not learn? This time he stopped before he swung his arm. He aimed for my stomach. I caught his hand and blocked the other arm that had come up for my face. I kicked his shin and he came down onto his knees. I head butted his face. Blood rushed out off his nose and he eyes started watering. I brought my right hand up and punched him on the left side of his face. He felt to his right.

He sat up and spat out blood. He got up and ran to me in rage. I ran for him too just as he brought his left arm up to hit me. I ran and turned into him. My back was pressed again his chest and I held his left arm with mine. I elbowed him between his ribs and dug my heel into his foot before and brought my hand up and back handed him with my knuckles. I took hold of his arm and flipped his body over mine.

As he fell on his back, the wind was knocked out of him and he took a while to recover. He sat up and coughed out more blood. He got up and came for me again. This time he had a knife in his right hand. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it in a way that it cracked and he dropped the knife. I turned his body around in force then kick the back of his knee; sending him to kneel in front of me. My left hand took the back of his neck and pushed his head down while my right hand grabbed my knife and brought it to his throat.

"Before you bring a knife into the fight, know what you're doing first." I said. I took the knife off of his throat and let his go. I turned and put the blade back into its place. I heard him get up from where he knelt and come for me. I turned out and kicked my leg up. He gasped in pain as my leg forced its way between his legs. He dropped to the floor, followed by his lunch coming up onto the sand.

"I win."


	5. The Town

**Authors note; Here's chapter five! The other chapter have been quite short, so I'll try to make them a little longer from now. Thanks to all my supporters! Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter five**

**The Town**

As part of the deal, he didn't say a word against me. He didn't even talk to me. The kid was obviously sulking because of his embarrassing defeat. After a few more days, he began talking a lot again. A good thing that he was letting it go, or trying to. However his defeat brought me to question his confidence. How did he think he was going to beat me? He couldn't even land one blow. He wasn't as good as he thought he was.

I was probably such a big surprise for him. His face looked worse too. His lips were swollen at first with a few cuts on them. His nose, well, that was already broken. The blueness under his eyes had gone dark and he had a bit of blood in his right eye. He kept his distance from me and seemed to – unconsciously – cover his delicate spot with his hands when I walked passed. It was actually quite humorous, and not only to me; Hansel tried not to laugh every time.

A question had; why didn't they have a problem with me kicking Ben's butt? Or did they have a problem, just not dare to say anything about it? I didn't know, and I didn't bother asking; it was none of my business. I wasn't friends with anyone in this group and I didn't see myself being friends with them. I planned on separating from them when we got to the nearest town. I didn't need them, but the question still remained; did they need me? I had wondered that since the first day they came across me.

We were still in the desert. I was starting to get really sick of sand. I loved the water, the trees, the plants etc. I didn't like a sandy wasteland. I was glad that we were coming to the end of the desert though. I knew we were.

As the sun began to creep low in the sky, we set up camp after examining the area. They made the fire, sat around it and just spoke about anything. And like every night, I didn't sit with them; instead, I sat on the edge of a hill, further into the desert. I could hear laughs coming from the 'camp'. My back faced them, as like the first night. I slept a little bit a few nights ago, but it didn't last. I lay down on my side when I heard the snoring. I used my arm as a pillow and closed my eyes. Eventually, I fell asleep.

_The night was cold. The trees all around me swayed in the midnight breeze. Dark, grey clouds covered the sky, the moon and the stars. I walked through a forest filled with large oak trees. The wet soil beneath my feat squeaked as I walked. Some places were muddier than others and sucked my feet in at times. I tried not to trip or get cough in the large roots of the trees. My feet were bare and I wore summer fit clothes that failed to keep me warm in the coldness of the night. _

_I could hear the crunch leaves coming from the dark in front of me. Lightning struck and thunder followed. The thunder and lightning continued but the rain didn't fall. I could hear the crunching coming closer. Someone was coming. I stayed where I was and waited for the person to appear. In the lightning, I could see a face, but not long enough to tell what or who it was. The lightning struck again and I saw the face. It was ugly; its skin was the colour of autumn leaves and trees. Its eyes were yellow and its pupils were thin and long like a snake. I saw that the trees around it had begun to die, thus causing all the leaves to fall._

_I felt fear rush through me. The lightning struck again and I could see it standing in front of me._

I opened my eyes to the darkness of the desert. I lay in the same position I had fallen asleep in and I was in the same place I had fallen asleep in. The sky was getting lighter as the sun was close to rising. It was a lot colder than it was in the middle of the desert, and that's one of the reasons I knew we were coming to an end of the sandy land. Signing, I sat up in the side. That particular nightmare …

I got up and dusted myself off. I was just glad that it was a nightmare and not the real thing. I looked toward the 'camp'. Hansel and Gretel slept quietly, but the kid snored away. I didn't know what the troll what doing but I'm sure he was calm. I didn't really understand the story of the troll. What was he doing with these three? I decided to go for a walk. I need to think, to get away from the group. I just wanted to go walking.

I got back and the sun had risen. Everyone was eating breakfast and Gretel was the first to notice me.

"Good morning." She said to me. I said nothing again. She didn't say anything against it, even though I knew that she wanted to, instead she went back to eating her breakfast the kid and her brother.

After breakfast, we started walking toward the town again. We'd been walking together toward this town for about two weeks. I hadn't gotten any closer to any of them. The only thing I said when I spoke to them was to say what was to be done, which wasn't often. I didn't want to let these people in, I was scared, and I also had no practise speaking to people. Other than speaking to myself and some of the evil witches I killed – which doesn't really count because it's not a conversation – I didn't speak at all.

It seemed sad, but that was the life I lived.

I was silent as they conversed on our journey to the town. They had become a little more observant after the day I saved the kid's life, but I was the only one that devoted all my attention to keeping watch. I was like a permanent guard. The desert slowly began to disappear behind us as we came onto a hard, darkly soiled road. I knew we were close to this town now. We would be there soon. Three days max. Of course I had no idea how far away it was because I had never been there before, so I just kept the arrival estimate high so I would get disappointed if it was longer.

I kept the lead as they walked in a group behind me, just talking to each other. The sun rose higher in the sky as we walked. The day was still hot, just as much as in the desert and the sky was clear. We came across a few trees and plants as we continued on our way and this made me happy because I liked plants. That witch in my dreams killed plants. I mentally slapped myself for allowing the thought to enter my mind and I thought of something else. I began to wonder what I would do once I separated from the group. I would probably go back to what I was doing before they found me. I would go back to hunting witches as I travelled.

That seemed like the only option that worked for me. I wasn't going to find a house in a village and live there. I wasn't going to find love and settle down. I wasn't going to protect one town permanently. I wasn't going to grow a rose garden for fun. No. The only option that I decided was a possibility and was a definite yes was killing witches that dared to flirt with the evil. At the thought, I gazed upon the village.

It was a bunch of houses and things. It looked like a typical town. A few public buildings, houses, street stores, many people around, children running around etc. Everyone was relieved to finally be at the town. Everyone except for me. I hadn't been around people for years, let alone a whole town with children, parents, teenagers, old people and all of that. I was worried and scared. I wouldn't and didn't trust anyone in that village. I didn't trust anyone but myself and I didn't know who would be a threat or not. I would just have to keep my eyes extra open and be extra cautious. We moved for the village and it seemed that the boy even ran for it. How could he possible miss civilisation so? Edward remained outside the walls.

As we entered the town we were lost in people. The only people I actually knew in the crowd were, Hansel, Gretel and the kid. And considering that I only knew them, I followed them to wherever they were going. It was hard to keep track of them through all of the people and at a stage I actually lost them. I remained where I was and I looked around for them frantically. If I couldn't find them, I needed to get out of there.

People started to look at me funny while others just walked passed without looking. I could feel a warm hand on my arm and I turned, ready to attack. I saw that it was Gretel and I could actually feel myself relax a bit. She had an affectionate smile on her face. I followed her out of the crowd and soon we were with the other two.

"Wait here." She told me. I didn't know whether to do as she said but decided to anyway. She and the kid walked into the Police building and Hansel stayed with me. I didn't know why he didn't go with Gretel. We said nothing to each other while we waited for them to return. When they did, big smiles were on their faces. Gretel threw something at Hansel. It turns out that it was a key. They each had one. Gretel walked up to me and handed me one. I didn't know what it was for, so when they started walking, I followed them. We ended up at a small hotel. The key was for a room at the hotel. Why did I get one?

After Hansel and Ben went to their rooms, Gretel walked with me to ours. We each had separate rooms but they were in the same corridors.

"You can rest now." She said to me before going to her own room. I was a little unsure about going into the room that was rented mine. After awhile I opened the door and walked in. Closing the door behind me, I inspected the room. There was a double bed in the middle of the room, a bed side table on each side and a chest in front of it. The window was on the left of the room and a door on the right. Not much was in the room. I walked over to the bed and placed on my hand on the edge. I hadn't felt or used a bed for years. It was always a tree, the floor or anything else useable.

I went over to the door on the right and opened it. It led into a bathroom. I hadn't used these for just as long. I felt as though I was trespassing and that if I used anything, something bad would happen. I walked over to the window and gazed out upon the street. Children were playing in the roads. Their parents watched in groups of their friends. Other people walked passed each other with smiles on their faces and things in their hands. I couldn't help but feel the envy of such comfort and happiness I hadn't felt in years.

I continued to watch in admiration as the children laughed. One of them, a girl, was running and happened to fall down. She frowned and tears started in her eyes. A little boy came to her and helped her up, while her mother made her way to comfort her. I sighed and turned away. After a long while, I decided to bath. It felt strange to bath without clothes and just as strange to use soap. I washed my skin and my hair.

It felt good once I was done. I felt clean for the first time in a long time.

I walked over to the bed once my clothes were on and I stared at it. I was unsure about it. Not worried that there was a witch hiding in it, but scared of … feeling it. After so many years of the hard ground, the rough trees, the bumpy rock and all that, it had become comfortable. What would this do to me? My stress would seem silly to those who have lived the life of pleasure, but it was serious to me.

I heard a knock on the door and I was very grateful to Gretel for interrupting my thoughts and coming in.

"We're going out. Do you want to come?" She asked, standing in the doorway. I looked from her to the bed and back at her. I didn't want to stay in this room for any longer. I needed to get out. I went over to her and she smiled. I locked the door behind me and followed her to wherever we were headed. When the other two didn't come with us, I started to wonder. She took me to a building, a bar. I spotted Hansel and the kid sitting at a table, talking. We walked over to them and sat down at the table. I remained silent as they spoke to each other. A song started playing and Gretel got a huge smile on her face. She took the kid's hand and led him to the dance floor where they danced. Hansel had gotten up to get drinks earlier and so I was alone at the table.

I was a little nervous about this and I should have been when a guy came up to me. He had a big, mysterious grin on his face and he sat himself down in Hansel's chair. He had shaggy, dirty blonde hair with lime green eyes and tanned skin. He was tall but skinny.

He leaned over the table and his head stood quite close to mine. I sat back further in my seat.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" He asked. His breath smelt like alcohol. I didn't speak. I looked away. He moved his head into my line of sight.

"What's your name beautiful?" He asked a little too sexually. That made me even more uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, you're in my seat." I couldn't be more relieved when Hansel returned. However, the man didn't move.

"Scram. I'm talking to the lovely lady." He said. He slipped his hands under the table and grabbed my upper leg. I could see that Hansel wanted to force him away, but I beat him to it. As his hands made contact with my legs, I stood up and I punched him through the face. The force was so hard that he fell off the chair and moved the table with him. He held his dislocated jaw and looked up at me in shock.

"Get lost." I ordered. He rushed to his feet and ran out of the doors. I sat down again and looked up at Hansel. His eyebrows were raised and he had a light smirk on his face. He sat down when I said nothing and handed me a glass of water. I didn't drink and a good thing at that.

**Authors note; Hey guys! Tell me what you think. Enjoy!**


	6. Leaving

**Authors note; Hi everyone. I hope you guys liked chapter five. This chapter will be quite short. Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter six**

**Leaving**

A little while after Hansel had sat himself down with all our drinks, Gretel and the kid came back. They seemed as though they has seen nothing. Either they hadn't, or they were acting. Our table was situated next to a wall. The wooden table was square and the left of it was against the bar wall. Two chairs were on each side except on the right.

Hansel sat across from Gretel and Ben sat across from me. There was a lot of noise in the bar and it made me uncomfortable. As the three of them spoke and drank their drinks, I sat back in my chair and leaned against the wall. Gretel looked at me but said nothing. I tried to block everything out and soon, I was in my mind and left everything behind.

"Hey!" Gretel's voice came for beside me. I blinked and looked around. I had forgotten I was still in the bar. I looked over at her as she continued speaking.

"We're going." She stated. I got up from my seat as they did and walked with them to our hotel rooms. It wasn't a big hotel. The building was wooden, as like every other building in town, and it was well furnished. The moon was high in the sky and there was a slight breeze blowing causing the little trees there were to sway.

Gretel bid me goodnight and went to her room, leaving me at mine. I walked in slowly and was stuck staring at the bed again. It was quite elevated, with white sheets and bedding. The base of the bed was dark and well polished and clean. Not wanted to stare at it any further, I walked over to the window. No one played or walked in the roads. The town looked empty at night. Hardly any lights were on. Only some public building lights were on, such as the sheriff's department and the bar. There was something odd about this town. It seemed like a wonderful place during the day, but at night, it was … creepy. Something was off.

I found myself following someone with my eyes. A woman. She was the only one on the roads and wore a black cloak over her head. I couldn't see her face in the shadows that the hood provided, but when she came into view, she was one of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her hair was pure white – it looked a very light pink in the dark – and long. Her eyes were the most, light, beautiful green I had ever seen. The green was misty, and a little bit grey. Her skin was a light tan and she was tall. Her lips were full, her cheeks were a light pink and her eyelashes were long and dark while her eyebrows were light and thin. I couldn't see everything. As soon as our eyes met …

I woke up the next morning on the ground. I lay next to the bed close to the window. I believed that what I had seen last night outside my window was only a dream and that she didn't exist. I would never forget that woman, real or not, because she was so beautiful that it was almost … inhumane. She couldn't be a witch, even in human form, witches weren't that beautiful. I didn't remember going to sleep though.

I got up and looked out the window. It was exactly like yesterday afternoon. People roamed everywhere. Looking away from the window and around the room, I decided to wash up. I wouldn't get used to the feeling of having my clothes off and soap on my skin and in my hair. I got out and into my clothes just in time for Gretel to come in.

"We're going around town to get supplies for our next journey." She said. I walked to her and locked the door behind me. We made our way into the market place.

"Hansel and Ben have gone elsewhere." She stated as we walked. I remained silent. Now and then she would speak but she didn't say much, obviously to the knowledge that I wouldn't answer. I still did not feel comfortable enough to converse with Gretel freely. Not in the way she and the other two did any way. The market place was just as crowded as any other place and it made me even more uncomfortable to have people so close to me all the time. I kept my right hand on the blade attached to my hip as we made our way to the different stands.

"Wait here." She said to me. Where I stood, not many people were in my personal space, rather behind, next to and in front of me. The ground beneath my feet was hard, dark soil like the path leading into the town. I did as she said. I stood my ground as she walked back into the swarm of people. I wasn't left alone for long. Before short, I was surrounded by men. I recognised, what I assumed was the leader, as the man I had punched last night. He had a large, black bruise covering the bottom right side of his face.

"Now you will pay." He spoke through his teeth, not moving his jaw.

"It seems you have come back for more." I said. I lifted my hand and with my two fingers, motioned him to come for me. He was infuriated by this and one of the guys attacked. He came running for me. As he got closer, I went down and shot my arm up to get him in the stomach. I felt his ribs break under my fist and watched him drop to the ground. He held his torso and cried in pain. _What a baby_ I thought.

I heard feet shuffle behind me. As the noise got closer, I brought my elbow back to hit the guy between his rib cage. As he gasped in pain I brought my forearm up and back handed him with my fist. He dropped to the ground and suffered from whiplash. Two other guys came running for me. One from behind and one from the front. I waited until they were close and then I jumped and flipped in the sky. They ran into each other and rebound into the ground.

As I landed, two others came for me with more speed than the others. The one had a knife in his hand while the other had a hammer. I moved just in time to dodge a hit and heard as the guy with a knife screamed in pain when the hammer broke his nose. He dropped the knife and shuffled to the ground where he held his nose. The one with the hammer came running for me again. He swung his arm out to hit me with the weapon. I kicked my leg up and wrapped it around his raised arm. As my leg wrapped around his arm, I forced my palm into his nose and felt the snap. Blood gushed out. I shot my raised leg down and brought the guy to the ground. Another person came running from behind. I took the hammer and swung my arm around with my body, hitting him in the side of this knee. He cried out in pain as the bones separated from the knee cap. He dropped to the ground suddenly and rocked on the floor as he held his leg. I turned to face the last man standing.

I could see the fear spark in his eyes, but the flame of anger burned brighter. I dropped the weapon to the ground and waited for him to attack. He looked around at the men that lay, scattered, on the floor. I saw the anger blaze once more and he came for me. He swung his left arm out to hit me. I caught his fist with my left hand and brought my right arm up where I forced his elbow left where it snapped. He cried out in pain but went for the hit again. I caught his arm and forced it around his own neck. I stood behind him, holding his arm around his neck. I used his weight to lift him off the ground and I flipped his body over mine. He landed on the stairs of a building and continued to lay there.

"Now let's see what honour you have left." I said to him. He looked up at me and I saw the blood in his mouth that stained his teeth and drowned his tongue. I heard one set of clapping behind me and turned to see that it was Gretel who applauded.

"Eight men, down. Well done." She said to me. "And none of them managed one blow. You were taking it easy on Ben, weren't you?" She asked. Indeed I was, I hadn't broken any of his bones, however, I did cause him pain.

"I was taking it easy on them too." I stated calmly.

"I believe you. They'll think twice about attacking a woman again." She commented with a smile. I said nothing. We continued our day and soon, it was nightfall. We went back to our hotel and ate dinner. While at dinner, Gretel was telling her brother and the kid about what I had done earlier that day. Hansel didn't look surprise and the kid had an I-know-what-that-feels-like face. It was quite funny actually. We went to our rooms after dinner and rested for the night.

The next morning I was awake early. I sat by the window – where I'd slept – for quite some time before Gretel came in. I turned to look at her.

"Have you decided yet? Whether you are going to come with us or not?" She inquired.

"Yes." I answered. She waited for the rest of my response.

"I have chosen to go with you." Gretel seemed relieved by this and showed a soft smile.

"Well then, good. Wash up because we're going to leave soon." She walked out and left me standing by the window. I debated whether I had made the right choice to go with them. I hoped that I did. I bathed for the last time and met everyone in the main lobby. The kid didn't look too excited and as for Hansel, I didn't know. We walked over to the Sheriff's department and I waited outside with Hansel again while Gretel and the kid went in.

They came out and we made our way to the other side of the town where the exit was held. Edward was waiting for us. We began our journey together once again.

**Authors note; not too short, but not long either. Anyway, I know you haven't learnt much about the girl, but her character information will come in time. Thank you so much for reading. Please review. Enjoy!**


	7. Attacked

**Authors note; thank you to everyone for reading and following and favouring. Not many replies though. It's so sad. I don't know if you guys like the story or not. Obviously if you follow it there is a reason and if you favourite then you do like it, but it's frustrating you know? Anyways, here's chapter seven. I realize that chapter three has the title 'attack' but that was a mistake so please, bare with me. Please review. Enjoy! Lots of love.**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter seven**

**Attacked**

I shot up with a gasp.

"It was just a dream. It was just a dream." I told myself in a frightened whisper. It was hard to lie to yourself when you actually knew the truth and knew what you were feeling. It was a dream, that much was true, but it wasn't _just _a dream. It was a memory. A painful, nagging, frustrating memory that kept me haunted. With a large sigh, I closed my eyes. I took a large, deep breath to calm myself down and opened my eyes. The sun was rising. I could imagine all the colours would reflect off of my grey and blue eyes. I looked around to see if I had woken anyone up. It seemed like I hadn't. Hansel slept close to his sister and the kid slept on the other side of the flameless fire. I didn't know where Edward had gone though. He was no where in sight.

The kid snored away and it actually helped. It made me feel safe; it made me feel like I wasn't alone. '_Well kid,' _I thought '_you helped me after all'. _It was strange to use my words like that. 'You helped my after all', that was not something I said. 'You hurt me after all', that is what I said. Not wanting to think of it any further, I got up and started walking. We weren't in a desert, but where we camped didn't have much around. The dark, hard soil beneath our feet turned out to be relatively fertile, growing a few plants and trees here and there. There were a few clouds in the sky and a chilly breeze blowing by. The sun rise rose above the ground and lit the sky with a light blue. With one last sigh, I was out of sight of the camp.

I got back and everyone was still sleeping. This wasn't very usual. Normally, I would come back and everyone would be awake. I started to get worried and started thinking of the worst that might have happened, but another part of me told me that they just over slept and I should give it some time. I didn't actually want to wake them and so I went with the other solution. Sitting down, I was prepared to wait. As I waited, I saw movement of the trees and then I knew.

I got up and quietly went over to Gretel. She was a light sleeper and I could wake her up easily. I got down on my knees next to her and closed her mouth with my hand. She jolted awake and look up at me in surprise. I placed my finger on my lips to tell her to keep quiet. She nodded and I let go. Gretel went over to the kid and woke him up. As soon as the snoring stopped Hansel awoke. We packed everything as fast and as quietly as could manage and started travelling away. Once we were a safe distance away everyone stopped and turned to me.

"What happened?" The kid asked. I looked at him and saw the kid that's nose I broke.

"I saw signs of witches and I woke Gretel up." I answered plainly. Everyone seemed to accept that and we continued moving. They had been with me long enough to know that I wouldn't speak more than was needed. I could feel the grumpiness of the kid and the uneasiness of Gretel. Hansel, I had no idea. I just didn't get him. The disappearance of the troll was odd but I wasn't going to ask about it. After awhile we stopped again and ate breakfast. It was strange to join in the occasion but there was nothing to hunt out here, not even birds. It was a good thing we brought supplies from the town.

I didn't participate in their conversations though, not even when we continued. I wondered if there was any place in particular they were headed, as well as why they would take me with. Later during the day, the scene started to change. More trees were appearing, and soon we were in a forest. It seemed as though it went for miles and if we had to get to the other side, this was the only way we were going to get there. I couldn't help but feel fear and anxiousness as we entered.

We settled down and made a camp like we usually do and we ate our dinner. I had a bad feeling about this forest but I was convinced it was paranoia. I had been having nightmares about forests and it was reasonable to assume that I was being paranoid because of that dream. However, it was also reasonable to be afraid considering the experiences I have had in between the many trees. The camp was even more uncomfortable for me because of the scenery, but I just had to cope. Everyone looked calm and completely undisturbed by our new environment.

The forest was strange though; it was a mix between an oak forest and a tropical forest. Something I had never come across. I wondered how a tropical forest of sorts could grow in a desert environment. There was definitely something wrong here. As they spoke freely to each other – Hansel not to talkative, as usual – I kept watch for anything that could happen. This was the usual routine. I wouldn't let their laughter distract me from my task. I was concentrating more because of where we were. I didn't want anything to happen. I hated to admit that I was scared but, I wouldn't lie, it was useless. I was scared, but I wouldn't say it out loud.

A sudden, soft crunch of branches breaking under pressure came from my right. I shot a glance at the noise and stared at that spot. None of them had noticed and it frustrated me. How could they _still _be so unobservant? After I saved that kid's life in the desert, I would have expected them to have themselves at a heightened concentration. I glared closely at that spot and waited for anything else that might trigger the presence of a witch. The particular, unusual movement in the trees triggered the presence. I shot up from my log and turned to the camp who stared, bewildered, at me.

"Get up. Get weapons. Get ready." My voice was ordering and urgent. However it didn't seem to stick with them. "_Now!_" I growled. They got up and got their weapons. This wasn't going to be a normal one-witch attack. No. There were many. They didn't travel in packs. This was weird. Just as weird as a witch that didn't fight for survival. They new what was going on. Not exactly, but they knew an attack was about to happen. Gretel stood on my left with the kid next to her and Hansel on my right. The whole camp went quiet as we all listened. I waited. I knew what was coming better than any of them. I looked to my right, passed Hansel and frowned.

"Now!" I yelled a second before a witch appeared. Hansel turned and with one shot, the witch was gone. At that, the rest came out. There were more than I originally thought and they just kept coming. Hansel and the kid used guns, Gretel used her bow and sometimes a gun and I used my knife. The sounds of gun shots, tearing skin, pain filled cries, angry screams and disgusted snarls surrounded the cold night air. Multi-coloured blood stained my blade and the soil beneath our feet.

There were countless headless, limbless, bloody, ugly bodies lying on the ground as we slaughtered each one we had a chance too, but they just kept coming. I twisted and turned, my blade moving with me, one with my body as I cut down witch upon witch. Fear and disgust tainted the kid's eyes and I started to question his capability of killing witches. He hadn't killed many and he already looked sick and scared. The other two were just fine though, not taking any affect to the bloodshed.

I growled at another witch that tried to attack me. I forced my leg into her wrinkly face and it flew onto the ground. I ran to it and pressed my blade into its neck. I swung my knife around at another witch that came behind me. I got up and ran to the kid. He was fighting off a witch in the front and failed to notice a witch that made its way to him from the back. As he killed the witch in front, he turned just in time to see the other's head being ripped off its neck. I could see his face colour change and tried not to laugh when he almost lost his dinner.

"Watch your back." I warned. He nodded and almost seemed grateful. I had no time for a thank you though and I made my way to another witch. After another few witches I turned around to see Hansel and an unexplained panic rushed over me as I saw him being surrounded by the ugly creatures. I ran over to him and – just like I had done with the kid – tackled him out of the way just before a witch could strike at him with her weapon. Little did I know that he and I were rolling down a hill away from the camp sight.

We rolled and flipped on down the endless hill further from the fight. I slammed into a tree and held back a painful cry as I felt and heard the crack of a bone. We raced off a cliff and landed hard on uneven ground. My body ached and blood flowed from several limbs. My onyx black hair was knotted and parts of my leather clothes were torn. I coughed and stiffly sat up. Hansel lay on the ground a few feet away and his eyes were clothes. Panicked energy controlled my aching figure and I rushed over to him. I checked his breathing and his heart. His heart was beating but he was not breathing.

Despite the sting of my muscles and my skin, I pressed hard against his chest with both my hands and felt and felt a crack under my palms. Despite the bone that had snapped under pressure, I did this continuously before lifting my lips to his and blew air into his breathless mouth in hopes it would fill his lungs. After a few breaths I returned forcing pressure into his chest. I repeated this cycle a few more times before he shot up with a deep breath. I sat back and felt an unexplained sense of relief and joy fall over me. I kept the smile that threatened to show from surfacing to my full lips. He looked around and jumped to his feet. He paced up and down as if looking for something.

"Where are we? What about the other two? We have to help them! I have to get back to Gretel." He said quickly.

"There is nothing we can do. We are far from them now." I said tonelessly. Everything I said was true. We _were_ far. We _couldn't_ help them. For all I knew, we might not even be able to get back to them in time to save them or … ever.

"What do you mean? We have to help them. We-" He stopped suddenly and looked to me. With long strides, he was in front of me. I continued to sit, unfazed by his angry glare.

"You! This is all _your_ fault!" He yelled. I had never seen him like this, let alone speak this much. I got to my feet and glared up at him.

"Excuse me, I saved your life!" I yelled back. He seemed surprised at this and took a step back without saying anything. He sat down on the floor and let out a sigh.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He said softly, almost … defeated. I lost my glared and actually felt sorry for him. I took a breath of courage and went to him.

"Look, we'll find them." He looked up at me and I could see he was in pain … emotionally. "I promise." With a sigh, he nodded. The moon was still high and the breeze was still cold but the sky had begun to lighten as a sign of a soon sunrise. I looked around. I gazed toward the cliff and the hill we came from. For some reason, I began to hope that the other two were safe and were managing those witches by themselves. I knew that Gretel didn't have a problem and was well capable, but the kid … could she protect herself and the kid, kill all the witches and manage to escape before more came? I truly hoped so. For Hansel's sake, I hoped that we found them again.

We weren't in the forest anymore. We were situated on a field of dark green grass and heavy grey rocks. There weren't any trees around but the soil in the grass and under the rocks was fertile, easily broken and soft. This was a good sign, there was water near by. Hansel had gotten off the ground and made his way to where I stood. He stopped behind me and reached out his hand. I caught his wrist with my left hand and turned to face the tall man.

"What do you think you are doing?" I demanded.

"You're hurt." He stated.

"I know that."

"What happened?" Did he not know we just came out of a witch attack?

"When I took you down I received the blow that the witch was supposed to give to you."

"You shouldn't have done that." He said. He looked down at me with pity and I hated it. I shoved his wrist out of my hand and walked away.

"It's bad."

"I know. You didn't need to tell me that. I knew it would be before I saved your life." I didn't stop walking.

"Why did you do it? Why did you save me?" I stopped at the question. Why did I save him?

"My dept is paid." I stated. You could not repay that kind of dept by considering something. A life for a life. Not a life for a thought. And now, my dept was paid.

"So now what? Are you going to leave me? Leave them?" I didn't turn.

"No. I made a promise. I'm going to keep it." There was a pause before he came up to me. I started walking again.

"They're the other way." he stated. I resisted the urge to roll my blue and grey eyes.

"I know."

"Why are we going this way?"

"There is a river somewhere close and we need to clean our wounds. Unless you want to die of infection before we get to your sister and the kid."

"No no. I just wanted to know." He stayed quiet after that. It was strange to see him speak so much after the brief few weeks I'd spent with him and the other three. I wondered if this was caused by the fact that we had been separated from the other two in the middle of an attack, the fact that we were alone in a field after rolling down a hill and falling off a cliff or if this was who he really was. I still minded my own business though. As predicted, the body of water wasn't far; however with our bodies in much pain, it felt like forever before we got there.

It was a large pond. The sun had begun to make its way over the horizon and the air was still cold. After inspecting the surroundings of the water and deciding that it was fine, we sat down on separate rocks. Hansel removed his shirt and held it in the water. Dried blood made its way off the shirt and into the water. After all the blood was removed from his shirt, he took it out and used it as a cloth. I couldn't help but stare. His bare chest was muscular and his muscles rippled every time he lifted the wet, heavy leather of his jacket from the water. I forced myself to look away and glanced down at the water. The colour was caused by the different shades, tints and types of blood.

I looked over at Hansel again and saw a large, deep cut on his back. He wouldn't be able to reach that unless he climbed into the water. That wound would cause a tremendous amount of trouble. I looked around for some herb or plant that might help and was relieved to find one that I recognised as a healing herb. I got up and went to it. While picking the herb, I felt the sting of my own wounds. I walked over to Hansel and felt chills as I looked at the cut from a whole scale. The skin was raw, the cut was wide and thick, and the wet and dry blood around it made it look bigger, but the green and blue liquid spreading across his back into his muscles is what made my spine shiver.

"Give me your shirt." I said. He looked up at me in confusion and I saw that he wanted to protest.

"Just do it." He sighed and handed the wet material to me.

"Sit on the ground." He wanted to protest again.

"Now." I ordered. As he did so, I kneeled behind him and dipped the shirt into the water on my left. I placed the herbs on the rock and held the shirt in the water with both hands. Taking it out of the water and draining most of the water from the material, I place my left hand above the cut in the middle of his back. He jolted away from my cold hand but moved back. His skin was hot, the poison was spreading fast and it caused him a fever. I brought the shirt up and gently dabbed the wound. He stiffened and I knew that it was painful.

"Hansel, I need you to relax. It will be easier and quicker that way." He nodded and tried to relax. After a few more jabs, I rinsed the shirt and repeated the cycle. Without the blood, the wound looked worse and I tried not to look at it for long. I took the herbs and crush it in my hands.

"This will hurt." I warned. He nodded but chose to say nothing. I took pinches of herbs from my hand and spread it evenly in the cut. I could see that he was in pain by the way he squeezed his eyes shut. I took water in my hands and poured it over the herbs and the cut. I saw the blue and green liquid run down his back, but to add to it, pus made its way out of the cut too. I left the herbs there until it had absorbed the poison and the pus as much as it could. I took the herbs out and place it on the rock. I went over to a similar bush and picked out leaves. I was lucky to find the two bushes because they worked hand in hand. The herb absorbed the poison and the leaf's juice forced the poison out. After picking the leaves and more of the herbs I went over to him again.

"This will also hurt." I took the leaves and crushed it in my hand, just like the herb. As the liquid from the leaves started to come out, I held my hand above the cut and let it drip onto the cut. His whole body stiffened and he bit down on his lip while keeping his eyes shut. Once the leaves were dry I got up and went to the herbs. After I crushed the plants in my hand, I place it on the rock and waited. A while passed before the poison, the pus and the leaves liquid came out of the cut. I took water in my hands and poured it over the cut and his back. After washing the liquids away, I placed the herbs into his cut again. Hansel was more relaxed now. Most of the poison was out and the cut already looked much better. The plant took the rest of the poison out and his fever faded. After cleaning the cut again, I got up and gave him his shirt back.

The throbs and the aches of my body were getting worse. My head began to pain and I felt like throwing up as well as falling over. I needed to clean my wounds. I stiffly got down by the water. I took my jacket off and placed it on the rock beside me. I already felt lighter. My black shirt was drenched in my own blood. I took my boots off and put it next to my jacket. The colours in the water faded along with the mixes of blood. The sun had risen and it was getting warm. Climbing into the water, the coldness stung my hot skin and blood started to spread again. I knew that a lot of it was my own but it wasn't visible in all the other colours of impure blood. The water stung my open and raw skin. Lifting my shirt slightly, I washed off all the blood from my cuts. It took awhile for my wounds to clean and when it was done I had to do to myself what I had done to Hansel. There wasn't poison in my body, but the herb would clean out infection.

After picking and crushing the plant, I sat down and leaned back onto a rock. I folded my shirt off of my stomach to reveal five deep holes in my skin.

"What happened there?" Hansel inquired. I hadn't realized that he had been watching me. Without looking up, I began to explain.

"While I fought one witch, another came behind me and dug its talons into my skin." As I placed the herb onto each hole, I rested my head against the rock and tried not to concentrate on the pain.

"How did you know about the herb?" He asked. I was actually grateful to him for distracting me from the sting that the plant provided.

"A few years back, I got attacked but a vine witch. I was fortunate enough to come across some of her books and I learned a lot about poisons, ointments, plants and that. This particular herb and plant helped me especially that day when the witch poisoned me. I still remember a lot of things I had learnt that day." It was strange to talk this much because I usually didn't, but it proved the help I needed when it came to the pain. At the thought it started stinging again.

"How long have you been hunting witches?" He asked. I opened my eyes to find Hansel sitting next to me on my right. He was still shirtless. I tried not to stare at his muscular torso.

"For as long as I can remember." It was true, just not completely. I could remember my life before I became a hunter, but I had been doing it for that long.

"What about you?" The first personal question I had ever asked him.

"Haven't you heard the story?" He asked. I frowned.

"I take that as a 'no'." He took a deep breath and looked ahead. "When my sister and I were younger, our father took us into a forest and left us there. We were scared and started to wonder. We came across a house made out of candy and started eating it before we were 'invited' inside. A witch made me eat plenty of candy while she made my sister work. The witch planned to eat us but we killed her first. Ever since then … we've been known almost everywhere for our witch hunting skills. We're … famous."

I listened closely as he explained and couldn't help but imagine what he told me. I tried to remember if I had heard about them before, but nothing came to mind. We remained silent after that. After I had cleaned all my wounds I got up and prepared to get moving.

"Wait." Hansel called from behind me. I turned to look at him.

"You missed a spot." He stated. It took me awhile to realize what he was talking about. He was right though. However, I couldn't reach the cut on my back. As if he had heard my thoughts, he sat down on a rock and pointed to the floor in front of him. I knew what he meant, but I was confused. He rolled his eyes.

"Don't just stand there. Come sit down and let me help you." He said. I was very hesitant, but a part of me told me that he could be trusted. Slowly, I made my way to him. He got up so I could sit on the rock. As I sat down he looked down at me.

"Now, tell me what to do." He said. As I directed him, he did exactly as I told him. When he came to kneel behind me, I moved my hair, lifted my shirt and held it there. His hands were cold against my skin, but it was nice. As he did as I said, I felt relaxed as his soft hands held my back. It was strange to feel that comfortable, but I couldn't help it. The sting of the herb was lessened by the comfort of his skin touching mine. I closed my eyes and soaked in the relaxation I felt.

"If I may," He began. I opened my eyes at his voice and waited for him to continue. "What is you name?"

I knew he would ask that eventually. I took a deep breath, followed by a sigh. There was a long pause as I considered whether to tell him or not. At my decision, I answered.

"Elizabeth Rose." I hadn't spoken, thought or heard my name in such a long time that I almost forgot it.

"That's a beautiful name." He said.

**Authors note; Yeah man! You finally know her name! Now you have a name to go with the person. Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading! Please review. Enjoy!**


	8. Confused

**Authors note; Hello everyone! This chapter will be quite short so just a heads up. Have you heard of my new story? It's called 'Broken Embraces'. Please give it some consideration for reading. Anyways, please review. Lots of Love! Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

* * *

**Chapter eight**

**Confusion**

We walked on, on our way back to the kid and Gretel, however as we failed to find them, both of us began to feel worry, frustration and confusion. We walked in the same forest we came from and had the attack in and we couldn't find any signs of witches or the other three. The only signs of life we saw and heard were that of animals. I could feel Hansel getting angry.

"How many days have we been looking for them?" He asked.

"Three." His temper flared. I had never thought him to be so short tempered. He did have reason to be though.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" He demanded in frustration. I stopped where we were and faced him.

"Listen here, I know you are frustrated and I know you are worried about them, but that does not give you any right to blame anything on me. I my have taken us away from them, but that was saving your life. I know where I am going because I have spent many years on my own, without a map or any directions. I know where I am going. Don't _dare_ take your bad mood out on me." He was not the only one that was getting frustrated, however I had practice at hiding it. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. It's just-"

"I know." I said. He looked slightly surprise. I looked around, trying to see if there was anything new we would find. A clue of some sort.

"I don't understand. There are no signs that they were even here, witches or us. They're no where near. None of them." I went on saying. This was part of their plans. I knew it was. They were teasing us. I didn't like it one bit.

* * *

Hansel was getting even more frustrated, but after my input, he did well not to take it out on me. After awhile, he took out his gun and shot at a tree. The base of the tree exploded into splinters. I lifted my jacket to protect my face from the flying wood.

"Feel better?" I asked as the fragments of the tree passed. He let out a breath and put his gun down.

"A little bit." He said. I looked around at the darkening surroundings.

"We should camp here for the night." He looked at me in confusion.

"It's a lot earlier than usual. We should continue our search." He stated and continued walking.

"No." He turned to me. "Both of us are irritated and from that, we're making ourselves conspicuous. The last thing we need is another ambush. We need to rest, both our minds and our bodies. We've been over working them both." I said. He looked the other way. I wondered if he was hiding something from me or if he was just debating whether to stay or continue. Once he turned to me, I could see the pain in his eyes. I felt sorry for him. I couldn't let that put us in danger though. I knew that he just wanted to get back to his sister, to find her and have her safe again with him. I did too, but we were just too stressed.

He, without a word, sat himself down. We didn't start a fire that night, it was too dangerous, the possibilities were too vast. The moon stood high in the sky and Hansel feel to sleep before I did. I sat on a log and rested my arms against my legs. I thought about the night of the ambush and felt guilt. I had separated Hansel from his family and I had caused him pain. I felt bad for bringing such bad luck into their lives. I should have just said no when she asked me to come with. I should have just walked away because now I just brought bad luck. I brought pain and evil with me.

I heard movement behind me and I knew that it was Hansel. I had been thinking for quite some time.

"Elisabeth Rose?" I felt panic surge through me.

"Don't call me that." I said. He came and sat next to me.

"What must I call you?" He enquired. I thought about it for a while.

"Rose." I said.

"Okay, well, Rose, are you okay?" I didn't answer the question. It was none of his business, I didn't want to or need to and I wasn't okay. I was never okay. He didn't push me for and answer and we sat in silence.

"Why did you choose me to come with you?" I asked. He didn't look at me, but continued to stare ahead.

"Gretel felt something different about you. A connection and she was convinced that it meant something so she persuaded us to have you come with us." I didn't understand what he meant by 'connection'. I thought about it, trying to understand what might have been different about me. How could Gretel possibly tell if I were different? A lucky guess? A judgment? What could have made her say so? She was right though, I was different.

* * *

The next morning, we ate our food and went on our way. There were still no signs of witches or the kid or Gretel. We tried to control our patience – Hansel – more than the day before and it was proven difficult. We didn't talk much; we didn't want to trigger the hidden anger. Hansel was angry that we couldn't find them, and I was angry with myself. That I was the one that caused this; caused him the anger and caused us to be away from them. Everything at this point was getting on my nerves; the short temper came in fantastically. I really didn't like being short tempered.

Our mission to find the other two was going to become very challenging.

* * *

**Authors note; A short chapter with not much in it. Sorry for the late update. Please review. Enjoy!**


	9. First bond

**Authors note; Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long to update. The romance progress so far is not a lot at all, but my idea for this is to go slowly. Thanks to everyone who has read my story so far and has reviewed and made favourite's, much appreciated. Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel**

**Chapter nine**

**First bond**

We had been travelling for a few more days, but still found nothing. The weather had become terrible over the last few days and it just wasn't clearing up. The sky was blocked with clouds but it hadn't rained once. Hansel and I still weren't talking much. He was losing his smile and his patience, but the worst part was, was that he was getting so worried that it was affecting him physically. I was even angrier with myself for causing him such pain. I didn't actually know why the thought of him being in pain didn't fit well with me, but I didn't want to go into it. We did exchange words at times but generally we didn't speak.

I looked to my left where Hansel walked and I felt a strange feeling surge through me – one I wasn't used to and didn't recognise. He was in pain, physical pain and it showed in his eyes, his face, his body. I knew he was in pain. I stopped walking, as did he. He looked at me with his pain filled blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. You aren't though." I said.

"I'm perfectly fine." He lied. He turned around and continued walking.

"I'm not stupid, neither am I blind nor am I thick." He stopped walking, but didn't turn.

"I know, I can _see, _that you're in pain. This stress and worry isn't good for your body Hansel. You need to rest."

"I need to find my sister." He said and walked on.

"Hansel!" I called, but he ignored me. "Your sister is as good as dead if you're dead." He stopped walking and turned to face me. He had a hard, angry expression on his face.

"Don't you _dare _use that excuse to get your way. You _don't _want to get on my bad side." He warned.

"You want to fight me Hansel? Go ahead. You are in no condition to walk, let alone fight." I motioned for him to come for me. "Let's see if I'm wrong." I motioned for him to come closer again to taunt him. It seemed that I knew just how to make him angry. He came for me. His movements were stiff from pain – as much as he tried to hide it – and his moves were anticipated. I moved to the left where he ran passed me – his reflexes not too fast from his physical weakness. I turned to face him when he came for me again. He was fast, but not fast enough to catch me. I moved away again, but this time he reached out his hand for me.

His finger tips grazed my arm before I hit his hand away. His reflexes were a little faster and he was behind me as I straightened up. I kicked my leg back and got his stomach. He shuffled back from the force and hit a tree. Before his could move, I threw my knife between his legs, not even touching his pants. He looked down at the blade and looked up in time to see me directly in front of him.

"My point exactly. The fight didn't even last for a few minutes. Your reflexes are slow, you are weak, you are stiff, you are tired and you are in pain. I suggest that in order to heal, you rest and listen to me. I might not have lived with anyone for many years, but I know what I'm talking about." I said and took the knife away. I turned and started walking.

"Who said this fight was over?" I stopped and turned.

"I did. If you managed to even grip me during our small fight, I would let you object, but the fact is, is that you barely grazed my clothes." I answered. He kept quiet. We set up camp there and didn't say a word to each other for a long period of time. After dinner he fell asleep and I kept watch. Night had fallen and the wind started to blow with high strength. I could feel a storm coming on soon and it was going to be a big one. We had to get to shelter. I looked around for a possible place of safe shelter. At that thought, I spotted a cave a while toward the mountains and hills.

I went over to Hansel and tried to wake him up.

"Hansel." I said. Nothing.

"Hansel." I said a little louder. Nothing.

"Hansel!" I yelled. He jolted awake and looked at me first with confusion and then with irritation.

"What?" He demanded. I ignored him.

"We need to move."

"Why? It's dark and it's dangerous." He snapped.

"Would you rather die from the storm that is about to hit?" I asked. He looked around and was silent for a moment. He then got up stiffly and we packed up. We made our way to the cave by the mountains and it started raining. It felt like a long walk – which it was – and but the time we got there, both of us were drenched. The storm started a few minutes after we got into the cave. After a while, we managed to light a fire and we sat around it, in hopes of getting dry and keeping warm. Hansel started shivering.

"Take your jacket and shirt off." I said without looking up from the fire. He stopped moving and looked at me in shock. Looking up at him and seeing his expression, I rolled my grey and blue eyes.

"I'm not going to rape you. The drying process is faster if your clothes are off, but since I'm not going to tell you to take all of it off, the least you could do it remove your top layers." I explained. He remained frozen.

"Oh for goodness sake Hansel. Just do it. I'm not going to look." I said and turned my back to him. He hesitated but removed his top layers. In a short moment, his chest was bare. I turned back to the fire and found myself drying faster than he was. I cold but not to the point of shivering the way Hansel was. He sat by the fire across from me. I pressed my legs against my chest and rested my head on my knees as I kept my eyes on the fire in front of me. Painful memories surfaced into my mind as I stared into the flames.

"Rose?" I didn't answer him.

"Rose?" He said again. There was silence again and a long pause.

"I often think about the day my sister and I fought our first witch, the day we became witch hunters, and I fear not having my sister, because she is all I have." He said. I looked up at him and I saw him through the flames.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. He took a deep breath and looked into the fire.

"I figured that, if I don't get back to my sister, someone might as well know."

I looked back into the flames and considered his words. I had never actually considered things in that way.

"We will get back to Gretel. You will have your happy family again." I promised.

"And if we don't?" He enquired.

"I'm going to throw my knife at you if you think like that." I warned. He didn't seem fazed.

"You know as well as I do that there is a high possibility."

"I know." I sighed. We stared back into the fire and there was silence for a long while.

"I've haven't had family or friends in more than 12 years." I said. He didn't ask questions – as I didn't want to be asked. We sat there for a long time, just staring into the flames and being dried by the heat.

**Authors note; I found that cute. Just a slight bond, and a small moment of a little bit of truth. Tell me what you guys think. Enjoy!**


	10. Dream

**Authors note; Hey guys. The good news is; Fire struck is a hit, not many reviews but quite a few followers and favourites. The bad news is; my updates are late, and might continue to be late for some time. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, favourited etc. my story. You guys are the best. I'm just trying to get my reviews up. Anyway, enough talking from me. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter ten**

**Dream**

_I found myself following someone with my eyes. A woman. She was the only one on the roads and wore a black cloak over her head. I couldn't see her face in the shadows that the hood provided, but when she came into view, she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Her hair was pure white – it looked a very light pink in the dark – and long. Her eyes were the most, light, beautiful green I had ever seen. The green was misty, and a little bit grey. Her skin was a light tan and she was tall. Her lips were full, her cheeks were a light pink and her eyelashes were long and dark while her eyebrows were light and thin. I couldn't see everything. As soon as our eyes met …_

"_Rose?" A musical voice sounded. My scene had changed. I was no longer in my room at the hotel; instead I was in the middle of a battered road. The street wasn't lit by anything. The full moon stood high in the sky but clouds blocked the light from shining upon me and the lane. I looked around in confusion but also in alarm as the voice charmed again._

"_Rose?" It sounded taunting and playful in a very creepy way. I looked around for the enchanting voice, for the face that could fit the tone. The street seemed somewhat familiar, but something I couldn't really pin point. _

"_Rose!" It sounded again, however, this time it was different, instead of a musical voice, it was croaked and evil. This made panic surge through me and a touch of fear. The scene changed once again, and this time I was in a forest. The many trees had the familiarity that the street provided, but again, I couldn't get an exact read on it. It scared me to be here, the feel, the dark, cold atmosphere. It gave off a bad vibe. I looked around for the same voice and for a face. I found myself looking up, searching for signs of the moon. I couldn't help but jump in fright at the sudden body that stood next to me. _

_I reached for my knife, but was dismayed to find that it was not there. I turned to the figure and put my fists up, ready to fight. It was the same white haired woman that I had seen outside the hotel. She just stood there, looking up at the moon that had decided to show itself. She had no expression on her face and seemed to be nothing but a beautiful lifeless rock. After awhile – still standing in my position – she turned her head to look at me. _

"_Rose." It had been her voice that had called my name. At first she seemed sad, but a lash of anger crossed over her face and left within a second. _

"_No need to be so tense. I have not come to fight, but to talk." She said calmly. I didn't trust her, so I didn't lower my hands. The anger flashed and disappeared again._

"_Your friends, they're gone. I know where they are. I can tell you, but for a price." I listened to what she had to say with care, but with caution._

"_Trade yourself, for them." The bluntness of her words seemed almost insulting. _

"_I don't make deals with strangers." I stated as plainly as she did. _

"_Ah but you see, Elisabeth Rose, I am no stranger." The same fear and panic surged through me as I heard my full name. _

"_Forget it. Take your deal, price, trade and offer it to someone who cares." I said. The anger surfaced again, but this time brought an ugliness with it. Instead of the beautiful tan, perfect skin, misty green eyes, full lips, perfect eyebrows and eyelashes and hair, there appeared dilapidated red skin, with yellow snake-like eyes, a dying orange for hair and thin, fang bearing lips. It disgusted me to my core. She was a witch. It was an evil witch. _

"_Punishment!" She screeched in an unappealing way. The sound sent chills down my spine and forcibly grinded my bones. She came charging at me with venom stained fangs and crazy yellow eyes. _

I woke up with a sharp, painful gasp and found myself coughing. Hansel shot up from his sleep and looked around in alert to find me sitting up straight with blood running from my nose. He got up and came to me as I put my hand to my nose where the blood came running from. He offered my white material at which I took from his hand and placed it at the hole.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I looked up at him without expression. At my silence he knew the answer and wasn't going to question. Once my nose had finished bleeding, I went out to the stream I had found a few days ago. We had stayed in the cave for about three days as I cared for Hansel. We couldn't continue searching for the others if he was sick. His sickness had almost passed though and we were going to started moving the next day.

I washed up and brought water back to the cave where I gave it to Hansel as well as his breakfast. I could see in his face and in his body that he had grown stronger and that his health was improving, however I still had the worry that the sickness was going to return because of stress of not finding the kid and his sister. I knew that he worried, but I couldn't take care of him all the time, every time he got sick. I wasn't a doctor, I was a witch hunter.

"You don't have to do all of this for me Rose." He said to me. I looked down at him and where he was sitting.

"You need to rest. You can't be doing this for yourself. It would take longer for you to heal." I stated. He sighed, but didn't object or question. It had been this way since we spoke that night the storm had started. The day went by and I didn't speak of my dream. We hardly spoke that day, or any of the previous days. I didn't speak because I felt guilt, I didn't have to and because I didn't want to have the possibility that I might mention something about my past. I knew that what I had said before, about not having friends or family for 12 or so years, I knew that was my decision, but I didn't want it to happen again.

I knew that sooner or later I would have to talk about everything that had happened to me. I had never spoken of them before; I hadn't even mentioned them to myself. I didn't want to and I didn't like to think about it and I tried to avoid it as regularly as I could. I knew that I had to talk about it, but I'd been fine so far and I was going to continue to avoid it until I had no choice.

Not talking was my thing after all.

**Authors note; I know it's a bit short, or a lot short, but yeah. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient for the romance so far. I promise that it will come. Please review. Enjoy!**


	11. First clue

**Authors note; Thank you so much to the patience that my readers have shown regarding the slow romantic progress. I promise that it is coming, just not yet – but it is close. Updates have been slow, like I've said before, and they will be slow for some time, so if I don't update in awhile, you've been warned. Please bear with me and have patience. Thank you to all those who have read, followed and made my story a favourite. Here is chapter 11 and it is quite short. Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel.**

**Chapter 11**

**First clue**

"Hansel?" I called quietly. I knelt on haunches beside his sleeping form. The sun hadn't risen high yet, but it rose just above the horizon. The cave was still quite dark, but was very warm.

"Hansel." I called again, a little bit louder. I tapped him on his shoulder in hopes of waking him up. He didn't even move. I rolled my eyes. He was such a heavy sleeper. I found it really annoying and sometimes unfair, because the slightest thing could wake me up. I used to be a heavy sleeper. Not anymore though.

"Hansel." I said louder and tapped his shoulder a little bit harder. He jolted awake and grabbed my hand while pushing me to the ground, where he leaned over me with his gun pointed at my head. He might be a heavy sleeper, but he was fast when he was awake.

"It makes perfect sense." I said and he had a look of confusion on his face. He sat up and I put my hands behind my head. "A witch will definitely come up to you and tap you on your shoulder." My words dripped with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes and got up while putting his gun away. He reached out his hand to help me up. I didn't take it, but rather got up myself. He stayed in that position while I got up.

"That works too." He commented. There wasn't much to do before we left on our journey. We went down to the river, where we filled up with water. After that we began on our journey to find the others.

"You're in a good mood this morning." He commented after awhile of walking. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't deny it. I'm more observant than people take me to be, and I know that you're in a good mood."

"I'm not denying it." I replied. He was surprised at this, probably expecting me to argue with him. Our surroundings didn't change much as we walked. We still ventured in a forest. There were large rocks here and there, a few hills, several mountains, little waterfalls, rivers, and of course, tress. It was true; I was in a good mood. I wasn't actually sure as to why I was in a good mood, I just was. As we walked, he kept on looking at me with this suspicious expression on his face.

"If you look at me any harder, you might blow a hole through my face." I said with rolled eyes.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. I just am." He narrowed his eyes and I knew he didn't believe me. I rolled my eyes but continued walking. As I walked, I saw something in the corner of my eyes and I smiled to myself in my mind as I knew what was coming. I'd wanted to take my frustrations out on something for weeks now. Hansel hadn't seen it, but then again, how could he have? I barely got a glimpse of it. I didn't reach for my knife because I was wanted to punch and kick it, use my strength and feel the force.

The ugly beast came pouncing out of the trees like a leopard from a tree. Its blue skin and army green hair made its yellow fangs and yellow eyes look even more rotten. I moved myself to face it and flung my fist out. It ran into my fist without quick reaction. Its legs flew from under it, over its head and it landed on its hunched back. The witch scrambled to its feet, but not fast enough to miss my foot in its face. Blood spurted from its swollen lips and flat nose. I grabbed its neck and it clawed at my hands. I could feel my skin tare under its talons, and I could feel the warmth of my blood spread over my hands. I picked up the struggling creature by its neck and swung it into a near by tree and heard the tree break from the force. The witch squealed and dug its talons deeper in my hands. I brought it over my hand and slammed its body into the ground where its neck snapped under pressure. The body of the creature went limp and I picked it up by its foot.

I tied it to the broken tree and set its lifeless body on fire. The smell of burning flesh – its rotten stench, like a decaying corpse – filled the air and my nose. I turned around to find Hansel standing there, just looking at me.

"We're on the right path." I said. He agreed with me and we continued walking. The witch must have been on watch for us. That means that we're on the right path and that they're looking out for us, but it also meant that the witches were working together and planning something, something very important.

"How did you know that witch was there?" He asked me after awhile.

"I saw it." I explained. There was a moment of silence.

"You're very rough." He stated.

"No, really? I didn't notice." I rolled my eyes.

"There is no need to be sarcastic about it."

"Well, actually, I'm sure there is because that was really obvious." He kept quiet for awhile after that.

"Why are you so rough?" He asked. I thought about it.

"It's just the way I am." I knew that it was the truth, but it wasn't all of it. There was so much more to it, but he didn't ask that and he didn't need to know.

**Authors note; Short and to the point, not really sweet so I'll leave that option out.**


	12. Unexplained

**Authors note: Instead of the authors block improving, it's just getting worse, especially for my other stories. At least I managed to grab hold of some ideas for this story. Thank you to all my readers for your patience and just reading my story. I hope this chapter will be enjoyed. Please review. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Hansel and Gretel. **

**Chapter 12**

**Unexplained**

One could understand the new hope we now possessed. Of course it was dangerous to be victim of such expectations as it can be crushed and taken away, but we couldn't hide, deny or ignore the hope and excitement we grew after defeating that beast. However, even with this new speck of light, we were exceedingly curious and slightly worried at to what the witches were concocting and their new plan. Though I had a feeling that when we were to find Gretel and the kid, we would discover the witches and their plans, and vice versa.

"Rose?" I heard Hansel call from beside me. He and I had stopped to camp for the night in a small cave. We lit a fire, set up, ate dinner and we now sat around the fire. The cave was slightly damp and the walls, roof and floor were rough. We were safe in there though because the cave was covered and protected by a large bunch of trees and bushes. Hansel and I would have missed it if we hadn't seen the small patch of rock behind a rose bush. I looked over at Hansel who had a blank expression on his face.

"Yes?" I replied. He looked into the fire and stared at it as if were telling him something. The light of the fire made Hansel's features seem almost … unrealistic. He appeared to be a dream. His light blue eyes reflected the fire like water and the amber, the red, the orange and the yellow looked so mystical in his eyes. The flicker of the warm light spread over his skin made him look superior and untouchable, yet humble and sincere. His red shaded lips were in a straight line and his face didn't say a word or explain the call of my name.

"What if all of this was for nothing? What if we travelled all this way in vain?" He asked. I considered it. Upon occasion had I considered the same questions and still yet, have not come to a conclusion and realistic answer. However, I had a feeling that Hansel would not need a realistic or logical answer, more an answer out of emotion, and that is something I did not have practise or knowledge with. Perhaps I could just improvise.

"Well," I started after awhile of deep consideration. "Then Gretel and the kid will know we tried our best and risked our lives for them. They'll be eternally grateful to us." I didn't exactly know if what I said was right, but at least I tried. He continued to stare into the fire in silence. I became very curious as to what he was thinking, and just on the thought, he smiled. I furrowed my eye brows and tilted my head in utter confusion. He looked at me with a side smile, a smile that made my heart flutter unexplainably and unexpectedly.

"You know, for someone who doesn't show much emotion, you have a good way of making people feel better." He said. This surprised me as I thought I wouldn't or didn't say the right thing. I didn't particularly know what was comforting about the explanation, but I must have obviously said something right in order to have made Hansel feel better. I just needed to figure out what it was that made his feel better. It wouldn't be an easy thing to do though.

"Um … thanks. I guess." I replied. It felt like I was speaking more to myself than I was to him, the possible reason behind that was the confusion I was experiencing. He didn't reply to my thanks. All he did was gaze back into the iridescent fire. I was unsure if he noticed me looking intently at his face, trying to figure him out, but even I knew that it was pointless. Hansel wasn't just some puzzle, ready to be put together. I was uncertain of what he was exactly. I must have fallen asleep while trying to figure him out, because the next thing I remember, I was dreaming.

_The cold water felt good and fresh under my skin but I wouldn't allow myself to get lost in its comforting manipulation. I kept watch for any sings of life. Shortly after I was clean of filthy blood, my attention was taken by the crunch of hard grass in the field. I'd been waiting for something to break the silence, as was I waiting for an ugly magical beast to spring out of the grass like some kind of animal. I braced myself and clutched my knife, ready to cut open its green skin and behead its purple haired head from its neck, but a gun shot caught me by surprise. Its airborne body was shot into the water after its head exploded. Blood spread through the water like a disease, but that wasn't my worry, rather the shooter. _

_A man stood surrounded by the long grass. He held a large gun in his hand and a frown on his face. Bafflement flooded my mind as I stared at the handsome shooter. I couldn't help but wonder who he was, where he came from and how his aim was so exceptional. I was suspicious and cautious just as much as I was bewildered. Gripping my knife tighter, three more figures emerged from the tall, long grass. All at once – uncomfortably – they turned their gaze to me. _

"_Are you all right miss?" The shooter asked. It took awhile for me to actually realize that he was talking to me. They waited patiently for my response. _

"_Fine. I didn't need help." I said coldly. He raised his dark eye brow along with the girl while the boy frowned. I moved to the edge of the water and got out. The air kept me warm and helped dry my clothes and my hair. _

"_She would have killed you without our help." The boy commented. I didn't look at him; instead I placed my silver blade into its black holder on my hip. All my clothes were black. In fact, a lot like the woman's clothes, the only differences were the buttons and the belt. Her buttons were silver, mine black and her belt was a dark brown, and mine was black. These clothes had been my protector for many occasions. They always took a little longer to dry since they were leather, but it still dried quickly in that weather. _

"_I've killed witches before kid." I stated. He took insult at the name "kid" and crossed his arms. _

"_I'm not a kid. I'm 19 years old." He didn't really look that old. His messy, long dirty blonde hair, his tan and his light green and brown eyes made him look young but his size made up for that. He was quite tall. Either that or the other two were short. _

"_Good for you." I said grimly. There was silence for awhile so I started walking the way I came. They started whispering amongst themselves but I continued to walk away. I could hear the whispering had stopped and one of them now followed me. I reached for my knife and waited for an attack. _

"_I'm Gretel." A feminine voice sounded. It was relatively deep but it wasn't masculine. _

"_Nice to know." I commented sarcastically. She now walked next to me. We were about the same height. Her eyebrows were thin and dark like her dark brown hair. She had light hazel eyes with long dark eyelashes. Her cheek bones were prominent and her nose was small while her lips were pink and full. A beautiful woman with tan skin and an hour glass figure. She really was breath-taking._

_I saw something move in the sand. I looked toward the movement that stopped. They hadn't noticed it. I'd encountered this before and I knew what was coming before they even knew there was movement. Ben was three steps away from that spot._

"_Kid! Stop!" I yelled. The others listened, but he didn't. I ran toward him as he continued walking and tackled him just as he lifted his foot for the last step. He grunted as my shoulder hit his stomach. We rolled down the sand hill we were on. I got up from him in less than a second and I threw my knife. The witches head ripped off its neck with the help of my blade. Green blood spurted out of its headless neck and its snake like head lay on the sand next to the body. Everything happened in less than six seconds. The other three stood in their places with a doubt struck expression on their faces while the kid lay on the floor, not realizing what had happened. _

_He jumped to his feet with a large frown on his face._

"_What the-!" His words stopped as the cartilage in his nose broke under my knuckles. He fell back onto the sand and held his bloody nose with his hand._

"_No help." He repeated. The others seemed to accept that and took two steps back. I continued standing as I was, having no expression on my face. He came running for me. He swung his fist for my face. I blocked his arm with my right and punched him in the stomach. He bent down and dropped his arm from mine. As he bent down, I landed an upper cut at his already broken nose. As he lifted his bent torso from the force, I kicked his chest and he flew back onto the sandy ground. He let out a moan and coughed. I stayed where I was and waited for him to get up. _

_He got up and came running for me again. He swung his arm. I grabbed the fist, pulling him toward me and force his arm behind his back. He made another painful sound. I swept his feet from under him and forced his head forward as he fell. His face landed first in the ground as I kneeled into his back. I got off of him and stood a few steps a way from him. I got up and turned to with blood on his face. He didn't look happy. He came to tackle me but as soon as his shoulder was about to make contact with my ribs, I elbowed him in the back. He dropped to the floor and reached for my feet. I saw this coming and jumped back. _

_He got up and came for me again. Did this kid not learn? This time he stopped before he swung his arm. He aimed for my stomach. I caught his hand and blocked the other arm that had come up for my face. I kicked his shin and he came down onto his knees. I head butted his face. Blood rushed out off his nose and he eyes started watering. I brought my right hand up and punched him on the left side of his face. He felt to his right._

_He sat up and spat out blood. He got up and ran to me in rage. I ran for him too just as he brought his left arm up to hit me. I ran and turned into him. My back was pressed again his chest and I held his left arm with mine. I elbowed him between his ribs and dug my heel into his foot before and brought my hand up and back handed him with my knuckles. I took hold of his arm and flipped his body over mine. _

_As he fell on his back, the wind was knocked out of him and he took a while to recover. He sat up and coughed out more blood. He got up and came for me again. This time he had a knife in his right hand. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it in a way that it cracked and he dropped the knife. I turned his body around in force then kick the back of his knee; sending him to kneel in front of me. My left hand took the back of his neck and pushed his head down while my right hand grabbed my knife and brought it to his throat._

"_Before you bring a knife into the fight, know what you're doing first." I said. I took the knife off of his throat and let his go. I turned and put the blade back into its place. I heard him get up from where he knelt and come for me. I turned out and kicked my leg up. He gasped in pain as my leg forced its way between his legs. He dropped to the floor, followed by his lunch coming up onto the sand._

"_I win."_

"_We're going out. Do you want to come?" She asked, standing in the doorway. I looked from her to the bed and back at her. I didn't want to stay in this room for any longer. I needed to get out. I went over to her and she smiled. I locked the door behind me and followed her to wherever we were headed. When the other two didn't come with us, I started to wonder. She took me to a building, a bar. I spotted Hansel and the kid sitting at a table, talking. We walked over to them and sat down at the table. I remained silent as they spoke to each other. A song started playing and Gretel got a huge smile on her face. She took the kid's hand and led him to the dance floor where they danced. Hansel had gotten up to get drinks earlier and so I was alone at the table. _

"_Have you decided yet? Whether you are going to come with us or not?" She inquired. _

"_Yes." I answered. She waited for the rest of my response._

"_I have chosen to go with you." Gretel seemed relieved by this and showed a soft smile._

"_Well then, good. Wash up because we're going to leave soon." She walked out and left me standing by the window. I debated whether I had made the right choice to go with them. I hoped that I did. I bathed for the last time and met everyone in the main lobby. The kid didn't look too excited and as for Hansel, I didn't know. We walked over to the Sheriff's department and I waited outside with Hansel again while Gretel and the kid went in. _

_They came out and we made our way to the other side of the town where the exit was held. Edward was waiting for us. We began our journey together once again._

"_Get up. Get weapons. Get ready." My voice was ordering and urgent. However it didn't seem to stick with them. _"Now!"_ I growled. They got up and got their weapons. This wasn't going to be a normal one-witch attack. No. There were many. They didn't travel in packs. This was weird. Just as weird as a witch that didn't fight for survival. They new what was going on. Not exactly, but they knew an attack was about to happen. Gretel stood on my left with the kid next to her and Hansel on my right. The whole camp went quiet as we all listened. I waited. I knew what was coming better than any of them. I looked to my right, passed Hansel and frowned._

"_Now!" I yelled a second before a witch appeared. Hansel turned and with one shot, the witch was gone. At that, the rest came out. There were more than I originally thought and they just kept coming. Hansel and the kid used guns, Gretel used her bow and sometimes a gun and I used my knife. The sounds of gun shots, tearing skin, pain filled cries, angry screams and disgusted snarls surrounded the cold night air. Multi-coloured blood stained my blade and the soil beneath our feet. _

_There were countless headless, limbless, bloody, ugly bodies lying on the ground as we slaughtered each one we had a chance too, but they just kept coming. I twisted and turned, my blade moving with me, one with my body as I cut down witch upon witch. Fear and disgust tainted the kid's eyes and I started to question his capability of killing witches. He hadn't killed many and he already looked sick and scared. The other two were just fine though, not taking any affect to the bloodshed. _

_I growled at another witch that tried to attack me. I forced my leg into her wrinkly face and it flew onto the ground. I ran to it and pressed my blade into its neck. I swung my knife around at another witch that came behind me. I got up and ran to the kid. He was fighting off a witch in the front and failed to notice a witch that made its way to him from the back. As he killed the witch in front, he turned just in time to see the other's head being ripped off its neck. I could see his face colour change and tried not to laugh when he almost lost his dinner. _

"_Watch your back." I warned. He nodded and almost seemed grateful. I had no time for a thank you though and I made my way to another witch. After another few witches I turned around to see Hansel and an unexplained panic rushed over me as I saw him being surrounded by the ugly creatures. I ran over to him and – just like I had done with the kid – tackled him out of the way just before a witch could strike at him with her weapon. Little did I know that he and I were rolling down a hill away from the camp sight_.

_When he came to kneel behind me, I moved my hair, lifted my shirt and held it there. His hands were cold against my skin, but it was nice. As he did as I said, I felt relaxed as his soft hands held my back. It was strange to feel that comfortable, but I couldn't help it. The sting of the herb was lessened by the comfort of his skin touching mine. I closed my eyes and soaked in the relaxation I felt. _

"_If I may," He began. I opened my eyes at his voice and waited for him to continue. "What is you name?"_

_I knew he would ask that eventually. I took a deep breath, followed by a sigh. There was a long pause as I considered whether to tell him or not. At my decision, I answered._

"_Elizabeth Rose." I hadn't spoken, thought or heard my name in such a long time that I almost forgot it. _

"_That's a beautiful name." He said._

_Are you okay?" He asked._

"_I'm fine. You aren't though." I said._

"_I'm perfectly fine." He lied. He turned around and continued walking._

"_I'm not stupid, neither am I blind nor am I thick." He stopped walking, but didn't turn._

"_I know, I can see, that you're in pain. This stress and worry isn't good for your body Hansel. You need to rest."_

"_I need to find my sister." He said and walked on._

"_Hansel!" I called, but he ignored me. "Your sister is as good as dead if you're dead." He stopped walking and turned to face me. He had a hard, angry expression on his face._

"_Don't you dare use that excuse to get your way. You don't want to get on my bad side." He warned._

"_You want to fight me Hansel? Go ahead. You are in no condition to walk, let alone fight." I motioned for him to come for me. "Let's see if I'm wrong." I motioned for him to come closer again to taunt him. It seemed that I knew just how to make him angry. He came for me. His movements were stiff from pain – as much as he tried to hide it – and his moves were anticipated. I moved to the left where he ran passed me – his reflexes not too fast from his physical weakness. I turned to face him when he came for me again. He was fast, but not fast enough to catch me. I moved away again, but this time he reached out his hand for me._

_His finger tips grazed my arm before I hit his hand away. His reflexes were a little faster and he was behind me as I straightened up. I kicked my leg back and got his stomach. He shuffled back from the force and hit a tree. Before his could move, I threw my knife between his legs, not even touching his pants. He looked down at the blade and looked up in time to see me directly in front of him._

"_My point exactly. The fight didn't even last for a few minutes. Your reflexes are slow, you are weak, you are stiff, you are tired and you are in pain. I suggest that in order to heal, you rest and listen to me. I might not have lived with anyone for many years, but I know what I'm talking about." I said and took the knife away. I turned and started walking._

_I washed up and brought water back to the cave where I gave it to Hansel as well as his breakfast. I could see in his face and in his body that he had grown stronger and that his health was improving, however I still had the worry that the sickness was going to return because of stress of not finding the kid and his sister. I knew that he worried, but I couldn't take care of him all the time, every time he got sick. I wasn't a doctor, I was a witch hunter. _

"_You don't have to do all of this for me Rose." He said to me. I looked down at him and where he was sitting. _

"_You need to rest. You can't be doing this for yourself. It would take longer for you to heal." I stated. He sighed, but didn't object or question. It had been this way since we spoke that night the storm had started. The day went by and I didn't speak of my dream. We hardly spoke that day, or any of the previous days. I didn't speak because I felt guilt, I didn't have to and because I didn't want to have the possibility that I might mention something about my past. I knew that what I had said before, about not having friends or family for 12 or so years, I knew that was my decision, but I didn't want it to happen again. _

"_Hansel?" I called quietly. I knelt on haunches beside his sleeping form. The sun hadn't risen high yet, but it rose just above the horizon. The cave was still quite dark, but was very warm. _

"_Hansel." I called again, a little bit louder. I tapped him on his shoulder in hopes of waking him up. He didn't even move. I rolled my eyes. He was such a heavy sleeper. I found it really annoying and sometimes unfair, because the slightest thing could wake me up. I used to be a heavy sleeper. Not anymore though. _

"_Hansel." I said louder and tapped his shoulder a little bit harder. He jolted awake and grabbed my hand while pushing me to the ground, where he leaned over me with his gun pointed at my head. He might be a heavy sleeper, but he was fast when he was awake. _

"_It makes perfect sense." I said and he had a look of confusion on his face. He sat up and I put my hands behind my head. "A witch will definitely come up to you and tap you on your shoulder." My words dripped with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes and got up while putting his gun away. He reached out his hand to help me up. I didn't take it, but rather got up myself. He stayed in that position while I got up._

"_That works too." He commented. There wasn't much to do before we left on our journey. We went down to the river, where we filled up with water. After that we began on our journey to find the others. _

"_You're in a good mood this morning." He commented after awhile of walking. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow._

"_Don't deny it. I'm more observant than people take me to be, and I know that you're in a good mood." _

"_I'm not denying it." I replied. He was surprised at this, probably expecting me to argue with him. Our surroundings didn't change much as we walked. We still ventured in a forest. There were large rocks here and there, a few hills, several mountains, little waterfalls, rivers, and of course, tress. It was true; I was in a good mood. I wasn't actually sure as to why I was in a good mood, I just was. As we walked, he kept on looking at me with this suspicious expression on his face._

"_If you look at me any harder, you might blow a hole through my face." I said with rolled eyes._

I woke up calmly, just by opening my eyes. I felt tears running down my face. They were warm tears but they weren't happy. The dream, my feelings and my tears were unexplained. At the puzzling thought, I felt something warm on my neck. It wasn't blood because it wasn't dripping or running. It was … wind. Wind was blowing on my neck, warm wind. I froze where I lay and my eye brows were furrowed. I turned my head around slowly to look what was going on behind me. I was shocked and surprised to find that it wasn't the wind that blew ever so gently on my neck; instead it was Hansel who lay ever so close behind me.

He slept so peacefully and his face was completely serene. I was caught up in his beauty and I hadn't noticed that I had actually been staring. After realising it, I shook my head and stood up. Sure, I didn't want to move away – which I also did not understand at all – but I felt the need to. I didn't make a sound as I moved to the other side of the fire where I would spend the rest of the night in sleep, or just pondering on my dream and what had just happened between Hansel and I. I usually had difficulty falling asleep after I had woken up, especially when I had much on my mind, which I did.

I had a strong feeling that the dream and the situation that passed wouldn't leave my mind for a substantial amount of time. Many things that had happened that night were unexplained and completely perplexing, as were a lot of the things in my life and I had learned many years ago not to complain of such things as I just could not escape them and therefore complaining would be absolutely meaningless and time wasting.

**Authors note: I hope that the little bit of unknowing romance was appreciated in this chapter. Granted, there wasn't much of it, but something is better than nothing. Please review. Enjoy!**


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